Speaking at the third Korea-India Friendship Quiz Competition 2018, the Ambassador said he was encouraged by the new developments in the Korean peninsula brought about by the political will of top leaders of the region, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Against the backdrop of a historic meet between the presidents of North and South Korea, Seoul’s Ambassador to New Delhi Shin Bong-kil today said India could contribute constructively towards peace in the Korean peninsula and in northeast Asia.

Speaking at the third Korea-India Friendship Quiz Competition 2018, the Ambassador said he was encouraged by the new developments in the Korean peninsula brought about by the political will of top leaders of the region, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“Even before taking office, he had thought about making a breakthrough in the Korean peninsula, particularly on the nuclear issue. He sent envoys and invited the North Korean sports team to the Winter Olympics,” he said.

The Ambassador said he was happy to see the change in dynamics, and added that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was also responding to the efforts of the South Korean president.

On India’s contribution, he said, “I am cautiously optimistic that the process of denuclearisation would bring peace in the Korean peninsula and also in northeast Asia. I hope India can also contribute constructively because it is a nuclear power and also, for a long time, it has played important role in the peninsula.”

Shin recalled that during the Korean war, India had dispatched medical teams to attend the wounded, adding that over 6,000 Indian Army personnel were in Korea at that time.

He said the South Korean President’s visit to India was scheduled for the later half of this year.

“This meeting with PM Modi will be a great occasion to take the relationship to a higher level. India is one of the five most important countries for Korea’s diplomacy and economic relationship. Formerly it was China, Russia, the US and Japan, now India is emerging as an important country for Korea,” the Ambassador added.

The quiz competition, in which four top performing school students will be taken on a free trip to Korea, Shin said, “was among the best public diplomacy that the South Korean government has developed in India.”